Water Purification

Every Prepper knows
the importance of water. Quite simply, you can't live
without it. Within three days, dehydration will take
hold and death soon thereafter. The procurement and
catchment from a
water source is step one, Water Purification is step
two.

The water you're hoping to drink might
be riddled with parasites or bacteria particles, you can't afford to
skimp on water purification. In the very circumstances that put you in
contact with questionable water (being in the wilderness, surviving or
recovering from a disaster, or living in a part of the world where water
isn't purified for you) the last thing you want to do is to get sick
with dysentery, etc.

For preppers, having an adequate water
supply requires three steps: Catchment, Purification +
Storage. Here we will deal with water
purification for preppers as
an integral part of a preparedness plan. Here are the basics of Water
Purification:

This
is one of the most
common water
purification methods
in a survival
situation. Place
the water you wish
to purify into a
pot. Try to
strain the water
through a cloth or
an unused coffee
filter. Place the
pot on the stove and
turn the stove on to
high. When water
boils, any bacteria
that may have been
living in it will be
killed, thus
ensuring that you do
not get sick when
you drink the water.

Watch
for rolling bubbles.
When bubbles begin
to appear, it means
that the water is
boiling. Let the
bubbles continue for
a solid five minutes
for the heat to have
the most effect upon
any bacteria that
may have been living
in the water.
Boiling water for 15
to 20 minutes will
kill off 99.9% of
any organisms living
in the water. It
also removes most
chemicals by
vaporizing them.
However, be aware
that boiling the
water will not
remove solids,
metals, or minerals.

Remove from heat,
carefully.
Let
the water sit and
settle.
You do not need to
do this if you are
boiling water that
came from a tap and
you feel sure that
there are no solid
items, minerals, or
metals in the water.
If you let the water
settle, any items in
the water will sink
to the bottom
naturally, allowing
you to drink the
pure water from the
top.

METHOD TWO:
PURIFICATION TABLETS

Using purification
tablets or drops is
the easiest water
purification
methods.
You can purchase
these drops or
tablets at sporting
goods and adventure
stores. Keep in mind
that this is not the
best tasting method,
but protection from
bacteria is worth a
bitter taste in your
mouth.

Iodine
tablets are the
most commonly
sold purifying
tablets, but you
can also use
chlorine tablets
with the same
result. These
tablets are most
effective when
the water you
are purifying is
68 degrees F (21
degrees C) or
higher. These
chemical tablets
will kill
bacteria living
in your water.
These tablets
are most often
used by campers
in the
wilderness.

Pregnant
women, women
over 50, and
people with
thyroid problems
or taking
Lithium should
consult with a
doctor before
using iodine
tablets.

Strain the water if
it has large
particles floating
around in it.
You can do this by
pouring the water
through a cloth and
into the bottle or
container that you
will be purifying
your water in. The
cloth acts as a
strainer that
removes the
particles floating
in the water.

Place the tablets in the water. If
your tablets or drops came with instructions, follow
these now. In general, you will want to use one tablet
for each quart or liter of water you wish to purify. Be
aware that these tablets generally have an expiration
date. If you use them after this date, they are much
less likely to be effective. Always check the bottle
before using these tablets.
Mix the tablets into
the water until they
dissolve. They
must be completely
dissolved so that
they can mix most
effectively with the
water you are
purifying.

Wait 30
minutes before
drinking the water,
as the tablets need
that time to
effectively kill any
bacteria in the water. You should
also be aware
that tablets are
generally less
effective in
water that is
very cold. If
the water is 40
degrees F (4
degrees C), you
should wait at
least an hour
after the
tablets have
dissolved before
drinking the
water. You can
place the water
in the sun to
warm it up
before using the
tablets if you
have the time to
do so.

To lessen
the strange
taste the
tablets give the
water, add
flavoring to the
water (if it is
available to
you.) Powdered
lemonade mixes
or a pinch of
salt will mask
the tablet
flavor.

METHOD THREE: USING A WATER PURIFIER

Use a pump purifier.
You can use these
types of purifiers
in conjunction with
a canteen or water
bottle when out in
the wilderness.
These pumps are
generally hand held
and made out of a
synthetic or ceramic
cartridge. Most
filters have two
separate hoses, one
for clean water, the
other for dirty
water. On the hose
that pumps the dirty
creek or lake water,
you may find a foam
flotation device
that keeps the hose
from sinking to the
bottom and sucking
up the silty bottom
water. The pump will
have a plunger or
lever that can be
pulled and pushed so
that water is sucked
up, run through a
series of filters
within the plunge,
and then pumped out
and into your water
bottle.

Buy a water bottle
with a built in purifier. You can now buy water
bottles that have their own filters already built in.
These work much like the pumps in that they run the
water through a filter before dispensing the water into
the bottle.

Try out a gravity
fed purifier.
These are filters
like the ones used
by Brita and PUR. As
the name suggests,
these filters use
gravity to pull the
dirty water through
a filter and into
the reservoir that
contains clean
water. To use this
purifier, all you
have to do is pour
unpurified water
into the dirty water
section, and wait
until all of the
water has run
through the filter.
Often, these filters
will have two
sections--one for
dirty water, and the
other for clean. These
filters are best
used at home or
at a campsite as
they are
generally pretty
large and would
be a pain to
tote around in
the wilderness.

METHOD FOUR:

BLEACH/WATER PURIFICATION METHOD

If using
Chlorine/Clorox, get and use a non scented and non soapy
version. Use five drops per gallon (or two drops per
liter/quart*). Mix and let set for at least five
minutes. The five drops per gallon ratio is the best and
proper mixing ratio. However, two drops in a liter or
quart sized bottle is overkill but much safer than
adding just one drop. When able, work with gallon or
larger volumes of water (try to avoid working with just
quart or liter volume sizes of water such as canteens or
refilled soda bottles) - Best to refill from a treated
gallon, or larger container.